Cinemafile

Mike Kaspar
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  • FILM INTERVIEWS

Cinemafile showcases the very best in independent, documentary and foreign films through our conversations with the more than 2,000 filmmakers who made them. Through Cinemafile we will do our best to bring the most interesting and accomplished filmmakers from around the world to your attention.

  1. Ghost Elephants - Subject Steve Boyes (Director Werner Herzog)

    1 DAY AGO

    Ghost Elephants - Subject Steve Boyes (Director Werner Herzog)

    For over a decade, Dr. Steve Boyes, conservation biologist and National Geographic Explorer, has been in search of a mysterious, elusive herd of Ghost Elephants in the highlands of Angola, deep within its forests. From acclaimed director Werner Herzog (“Grizzly Man”), GHOST ELEPHANTS follows Boyes on an epic journey as he sets out with some of the best master trackers in the world, in pursuit of an animal long believed to be a myth. GHOST ELEPHANTS is a lyrical tale of survival, reconnection and the enduring power of ancient knowledge in the face of modern loss. Complementing the film is the coffee table book “Okavango and the Source of Life” by Steve Boyes, releasing March 3 in tandem with the documentary. About the filmmaker - (Director / Writer / Narrator / Producer) Born in Munich in 1942, Werner Herzog grew up as a child in a remote valley in the Bavarian mountains. Until age 11, he did not even know of the existence of cinema. He started to develop film projects from age 15 on, and since no one was willing to finance them, he worked the night shift as a welder in a steel factory during the last years of high school. He also started to travel on foot. He made his first phone call at age 17 and his first film at 19. He dropped out of college where he studied history and literature. Since then, he has written, produced, and directed some 80 films, has published books of prose staged about a dozen operas, acted in films, and founded his own Rogue Film School. For more info, visit www.ghostelephants.com.

    18 min
  2. *Oscar Shortlisted - Late Shift - Director Petra Volpe

    1 DAY AGO

    *Oscar Shortlisted - Late Shift - Director Petra Volpe

    Director Petra Volpe’s LATE SHIFT had its World Premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2025. It went on to become Switzerland’s entry for the 2026 Best International Feature Academy Award® and was short-listed for that nomination. It won the Golden Eye Award from the Zurich Film Festival, The German Camera Award for Judith Kaufmann’s Cinematography, and Leonie Benesch was nominated for Best Actress at the European Film Awards. LATE SHIFT, follows a dedicated nurse Floria (Leonie Benesch, “The Teachers’ Lounge”, “September 5”) as she navigates the relentless pace of her hospital’s understaffed surgical ward with humanity and warmth. As her overnight shift intensifies, she is pushed to the brink in a race against time. Every second counts, and every interruption could mean the difference between life and death. Our guest, Director and writer Petra Volpe (“The Divine Order”) skillfully uses real-time tension to examine the emotional cost of frontline care work and the quiet, unglamorous triumph of keeping people alive in a pitiless system. LATE SHIFT is a portrait of everyday courage, both an homage to nurses and a rousing call to address the global staffing shortage in the industry. About the filmmaker - Screenwriter and director Petra Volpe studied at the Konrad Wolf Film University in Potsdam‑Babelsberg. Her feature film debut, Dreamland (Traumland, 2014), was nominated for four Swiss Film Awards. In 2017 Volpe gained worldwide attention with her film The Divine Order (Die göttliche Ordnung). The film became a major box office success in Switzerland. It was sold to over 30 countries and represented Switzerland in the Oscar race. Petra Volpe also wrote the screenplay for the film Heidi, the successful SRF series Labyrinth of Peace and Golden Years (Die goldenen Jahre), which became the most successful Swiss feature film of 2022 in German‑speaking Switzerland and was sold internationally, including in the USA. In addition to her Swiss projects, Volpe works as a screenwriter and director in the United States. She is currently working on her fourth feature film, Frank & Louis. Petra Volpe lives and works in Berlin and New York. In Germany she is represented by DIE AGENTEN and in the US by Range Media Partners.

    21 min
  3. *Cinemafile favorite - White with Fear - Director Andrew Goldberg

    4 DAYS AGO

    *Cinemafile favorite - White with Fear - Director Andrew Goldberg

    Emmy Award-winning director Andrew Goldberg's latest documentary WHITE WITH FEAR sheds light on the decades-long strategy of politicians and media outlets to amplify racial divisions and white victimization narratives for power and profit. Told by the operatives in the rooms where it happened, WHITE WITH FEAR is an explosive deep dive into the decades-long quest by America’s conservative political machine to amass power by exploiting racial fault lines and stoking narratives of White victimization. WHITE WITH FEAR is a potent journalistic undertaking that unearths the hidden political playbook and key operatives behind these efforts. With revealing first-person access to figures like Hillary Clinton, Steve Bannon, Rep. Jamie Raskin, former Fox News reporter Carl Cameron, The Lincoln Project co-founder Stuart Stevens, and other leading experts, WHITE WITH FEAR offers an urgent and eye-opening look at how racial bigotry is weaponized to undermine democracy. Award winning director and producer Andrew Goldberg joins us for a conversation on the state of the American “experiment” in democracy, and how we might find a way to forge a more “perfect union”. About the filmmaker - An Emmy-Award-winning investigative producer, Andrew Goldberg has directed 14 prime-time documentary specials for PBS/public television, and both long and short-form segments for outlets like CBS News Sunday Morning, ABC News, Live From Lincoln Center, and National Public Radio. His work includes The Armenian Genocide, Jerusalem: Center of the World, They Came to America, Proud To Serve: The Men and Women of the US Army, In addition to many other national PBS films including A Yiddish World Remembered (2002, Emmy Award Winner), Out in America (2010), The Iranian Americans (2012) and others, Goldberg has written and produced for Good Morning America, NOW With David Brancaccio, and National Public Radio’s All Things Considered with Robert Siegel. He was previously a regular contributor to CBS News Sunday Morning’s Nature segment, and Live From Lincoln Center

    28 min
  4. *Cinemafile favorite - Tatami - Co-directors Guy Nattiv & Zar Amir

    5 DAYS AGO

    *Cinemafile favorite - Tatami - Co-directors Guy Nattiv & Zar Amir

    Anchored by two trenchant performances, this exquisitely well made film from co-directors Guy Nattiv & Zar Amir about the politics of modern day Iran, TATAMI follows Iranian female judoka Leila (Arienne Mandi) and her coach Maryam (Zar Amir), who travel to the World Judo Championships, intent on bringing home Iran’s first gold medal. Midway through the Championships, they receive a chilling ultimatum from the Islamic Republic. Co-directed by Guy Nattiv (Academy Award-Winner for Skin) and Zar Amir (Cannes Film Festival Best Actress-Winner for Holy Spider), join us to talk about their collaboration behind and in front of the camera, ratcheting up the razor-edge relationship between the Leila and Maryam and finding pulling together all the elements of a compelling sports drama with dire international consequences hanging over their families. About the filmmaker - Co-director, Co-writer Guy Nattiv is best known for directing, co-writing and producing SKIN, where he won the 2019 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short. Guy went on to write and direct the feature version, also titled SKIN, which starred Jamie Bell and won the Fipresci Critics Prize at the Toronto Film Festival in 2019. The film was acquired by A24. Most recently he co-directed and co-wrote TATAMI, a historic collaboration between Israeli and Iranian filmmakers, which had its world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival in 2023 to significant acclaim. The film won two prizes at the Tokyo Film Festival, Best Film at the Munich Festival, and two prizes at Camerimage in Poland. About the filmmaker - Co-director, and co-lead actor (Maryam Ghanbari) Zar Amir is an Iranian-French actress, producer, and director. She rose to international prominence for her performance as journalist Arezoo Rahimi in the crime thriller HOLY SPIDER (2022), for which she won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress and Robert Award for Best Actress, among other honors. In 2023, she starred in SHAYDA, which won the Audience Award in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival and was acquired by Sony Pictures Classics. Amir also stars in READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN (2025), which won both the Audience Award and a Special Jury Prize at the Rome International Film Festival.

    18 min
  5. Matter of Time - Director Matt Finlin

    6 DAYS AGO

    Matter of Time - Director Matt Finlin

    Currently available on NETFLIX, MATTER OF TIME is a compelling documentary chronicling the fight to cure Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), a rare and devastating genetic disease. Set against the backdrop of a powerful benefit concert organized by Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder in Seattle, the film weaves together personal stories of patients and families, the scientific breakthroughs propelled by their advocacy, and the strength of a global community refusing to accept the status quo. Far more than a concert film, Matter of Time captures the emotional and physical toll of EB, the radical model of venture philanthropy driving progress, and the belief that art, science, and love can fuel a cure. With an original score by Broken Social Scene and candid interviews from all sides of the movement, the film is a rallying cry for what’s possible when people come together—with urgency and heart—for something bigger than themselves. Director Matt Finlin stops by to talk about the Vedder family contribution to something that feels increasingly doable, and getting to know Deanna, Eli, Charlie, Rowan, Garrett and the researchers who have dedicated their work to ending the crippling impact of Epidermolysis Bullosa. About the filmmaker - Matt Finlin is a Toronto-based director and producer known for crafting ] ] emotionally resonant stories that intersect art, social impact, and cultural memory. With a background in both documentary and commercial filmmaking, Finlin has spent over a decade building a body of work that reflects his deep interest in human connection, creative expression, and the power of storytelling to inspire real-world change. His first feature-length documentary, The Movie Man, premiered at the 2024 Santa Barbara International Film Festival and was praised for its heartfelt portrayal of a small-town cinema owner’s life, legacy, and love of film. Distributed by Mongrel Media, the film went on to screen at festivals across North America and aired on TCM and PBS. Finlin has collaborated extensively with Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder and EB Research Partnership, using film to amplify awareness around Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) and accelerate efforts to find a cure.

    19 min
  6. *2026 Sundance Award Winner - Dead Lover - Director Grace Glowicki

    6 DAYS AGO

    *2026 Sundance Award Winner - Dead Lover - Director Grace Glowicki

    Winner of the Special Jury Award for Outstanding Performance at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, DEAD LOVER is the story of a lonely Gravedigger who reeks so strongly of corpses that she can't attract a lover. She concocts fragrant perfumes in her workshop, but nothing can save her romantic prospects from her ghastly odor... Until one day, when Gravedigger meets Lover, an aristocratic dandy in town for his sister's funeral. Lover is different: numb to the pampered palette of the aristocracy, his loins are downright aroused by Gravedigger’s morbid stank. Before long, Gravedigger and Lover begin a rapturous love affair, become engaged, and dream of starting a family. Dead Lover is a hilarious, delirious, beautiful, horny, and wholly original Frankensteinian tale about the limits one Gravedigger will go to hold onto love. It is the sophomore feature from Grace Glowicki, who directed and stars as the love-obsessed, shovel-wielding Gravedigger turned mad scientist. Ben Petrie, Leah Doz and Lowen Morrow comprise the colorful cast of supporting characters, each playing multiple roles in the style of great romps such as Monty Python and Dr. Strangelove. About the filmmaker - Grace Glowicki is an actor, writer and director with a focus on unhinged yet emotional comedies. Her debut feature, Tito, premiered at the 2019 SXSW Film Festival, where it won the Adam Yauch Hornblower Award which honors “a filmmaker whose work strives to be wholly its own, without regard for norms or desire to conform.” Richard Brody at the New Yorker called it “an instant classic of acting." The film was acquired by Visit Films and distributed by Factory 25. Glowicki has starred in many acclaimed independent films such as Strawberry Mansion (Sundance ‘21), Until Branches Bend (TIFF ‘22, SXSW ‘23), Booger (Fantasia ’23), The Heirloom (Rotterdam ‘24), and “Her Friend Adam” (SUNDANCE ‘16, SXSW ‘16) for which she won a Sundance Special Jury Award for Outstanding Performance. Dead Lover is Glowicki’s sophomore feature.

    18 min
  7. Immutable - Co-directors Charlie Sadoff & Gabriel London & film subject Danielle Dupree

    18 MAR

    Immutable - Co-directors Charlie Sadoff & Gabriel London & film subject Danielle Dupree

    IMMUTABLE is a feature documentary that follows a group of students from the Washington Urban Debate League as they fight to find their voices in a world that too often tries to silence them. Against the backdrop of a city marked by inequality, these young debaters confront daily challenges that range from housing instability to neurodivergence. For some, debate is a path to college. For others, it’s a lifeline. We meet them at a summer debate camp, where their journey begins—not just to win tournaments, but to sharpen arguments that reflect their own lives. One girl, autistic and fearless, demands the world see people with special needs as whole. Others argue for economic policy reforms while navigating poverty themselves. As multiple seasons unfold, Immutable captures the grit, intellect, and heart of students who are determined to not only become top-tier debaters but to change the course of their lives. Co-directors Charlie Sadoff, Gabriel London, and one of the film’s subjects Danielle Dupree join us to talk about getting to know the dedicated young men and women who participated in the highly charged, cut-throat world of competitive debating, as well as, the impact this journey has had on these students and their families. About the filmmaker - Charlie Sadoff is a producer, director and editor whose most recent film Against All Enemies premiered to critical acclaim at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival, went onto to win multiple best documentary awards and after its release in 2024 was the number one ranked doc on the Apple TV charts. His early work includes the Emmy Award winning Liquid Television and Peter Gabriel’s VMA and Grammy Award winning music video Steam. Documentaries he has produced include For Our Daughters, The Mind of Mark Defriest which premiered at Hot Docs and aired on Showtime, Dream Riders (Sheffield Doc Fest, Discovery), the 10 part series The Rites of Autumn for ESPN and multiple docs for History and CBS Sports. Charlie seeks projects that can help affect meaningful change and Cut Poison Burn (Mill Valley) and The Harvest (IDFA, Epix) from executive producers Eva Longoria and Academy Award winners Shine Global both screened on Capitol Hill as part of efforts to move legislation. About the filmmaker - Gabriel London is an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose films have tackled major policy issues of the day from mass incarceration to climate change. Gabriel won the Albert R. Broccoli best film award for his first prison documentary, Turned Out, and went on to collaborate with Human Rights Watch on the first nationwide study of prison rape. The resulting films, No Escape: Prison Rape in America, received the Soros Criminal Justice Award and were instrumental in the passage of Prison Rape Elimination Act. Gabriel has made intimate documentaries with notable talent, including Drew Barrymore's film on voting, The Best Place to Start, and Snoop Dogg's autobiographical story, Youth Authority: California. Gabriel's most recognized work, The Mind of Mark DeFriest, won a number of awards at film festivals and went on to help reduce the title subject's sentence by over 70 years, before being aired on Showtime. In 2020, Gabriel directed The Definition of Insanity, which aired on PBS and has been used as a tool for mental health reforms nationwide.

    16 min
  8. *2026 SXSW Premiere - Beyond the Duplex Planet - Director Beth Harrington

    17 MAR

    *2026 SXSW Premiere - Beyond the Duplex Planet - Director Beth Harrington

    In 1979, David Greenberger, a recent art school grad became activities director at a Boston nursing home. David began interviewing the residents, rejecting pat questions with the unexpected: "Which do you prefer- coffee or meat?” “What is embarrassment?” and “How close can you get to a penguin?” The result was The Duplex Planet, an early ‘zine characterized by humor, warmth and sincerity. Today David’s work takes the form of spoken word shows and recordings. Beyond the Duplex Planet explores notions of aging and its intersection with art and community. It’s also a slightly ironic look at the life of an artist devoted to documenting the elderly who is himself in his senior years. A long-time friend and collaborator with David Greenberger, our guest Beth Harrington directed and produced Beyond the Duplex Planet. About the filmmaker - Beth Harrington is an Emmy-winning, Grammy-nominated independent producer, director and writer, born in Boston and transplanted to the Pacific Northwest. She most often focuses on work that explores American history, music and culture. Harrington’s independent production Welcome to the Club – The Women of Rockabilly, a music documentary about the pioneering women of rock and roll, was honored with a 2003 Grammy nomination. This and other work reflect a long-standing love of music. She’s been a singer and sometimes guitarist, most noted for her years as a member of Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers on Sire Records. In 2015 her film The Winding Stream – The Carters, the Cashes and the Course of Country Music premiered at SXSW, later appearing in over 30 film festivals in the U.S. and abroad. Her latest projects include the documentary Beyond the Duplex Planet about artist David Greenberger, and Our Mr. Matsura, a historical film about a Japanese photographer’s unconventional work documenting the people of Washington State in the early 1900s.Harrington has also worked with public television stations WGBH in Boston and OPB in Portland producing, researching, and developing shows for both national and local air on series such as Nova, Frontline, History Detectives, Oregon Art Beat and Oregon Experience. Her film Fort Vancouver received a NW Emmy for Best Historical/Cultural Program in 2019 and her piece Once Upon a Time in the Northwest – The Music of Federale, a NW Emmy for Best Arts/Entertainment - Long Form Content in 2021.

    17 min
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About

Cinemafile showcases the very best in independent, documentary and foreign films through our conversations with the more than 2,000 filmmakers who made them. Through Cinemafile we will do our best to bring the most interesting and accomplished filmmakers from around the world to your attention.

Information

  • Creator
    Mike Kaspar
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    167
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Mike Kaspar
  • Show Website
    Cinemafile

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